Us : Human kind (English)
by Veelitann
Summary: They are trainees, they know what they're here for. But despite all that training, they're still human beings, with feelings, questions and answers to give.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you for taking the time and reading! This is a try for a translation of my own french fanfiction "Us : Human Kind", which is a sooooo long one...**

* * *

It was only the first day, and even so he already felt a bunch of thoughts through his mind, each of them so different from each other, smacked into him. The confidence he used to show suddenly disappeared under their instructor's barking when the man asked them one by one, and his head still painfully remembered that moment. Destabilized for a moment, he was just putting in order his mind. There, in front of everybody, he's been one of the trainees whose ideas were not well received, even only for the reasons of their yearning for this or that position. He wasn't the only one in this case, aiming for some simple, quiet life. With a sigh, he gave a glance to the table on the other side of the big dinner room, where the brown haired guy from earlier was seating with many others still unknown. Getting engaged at the king's sides? With his blessed freckled face, it was even unbelievable he could have such ideas! What that guy could have in mind was his main question. Freckled face didn't look like someone able to fight and he was quite sure a fly would be more effective than him in the battle.

"Jean, that's it?"

He almost started when one from his table talked to him, putting him right to reality and he nodded.

"Oh, yeah."

His new mate facing him rubbedhis own bald head with a amused smile and gave a look in the same direction.

"Ah, that's it, the girls are all in this side! He said, looking like he understood Jean's interest for the other side of the room. "By the way, I'm Connie!"

Jean nodded again even if he remembered him. Looking like he didn't care that much, he glanced once more to the table that interested him and came back right away to his plate. It was kind of hard to empty it, he wasn't used to such a bad –almost disgusting- food. The beginning here wouldn't be easy, and not only food talking, he sigh stirring a little on the woody bench.

"I wonder what the dormitories look like!" continued Connie with some natural joy. 'Eh, d'you think it might be mixed with the girls?"

Jean sneered to the wink from the young boy and didn't turned around for long before explaining him his stupidity and noted by the same way that he definitely felt better, with his raciness back. To their sides, others were smiling and laughing just hearing them, before telling the shorter the reasons why they were.

When they left the dinner room, it's been to take their traps back, as they put them in a storeroom. Finding each other affairs took some times but for the most resourceful of them it got easier; Jean saw the brown guy from the other side of the dinner room appearing and disappearing all in the same very brief moment, silently, his luggages already in hands whereas himself couldn't find his in that imposing pile of bags. Connie took a huge bag with some victorious face and immediately disenchanted before throwing it away.

"Eh, it's mine!" Jean mumbled leaning to take it back.

Forthwith the small boy almost pounced on the bag.

"Really? Come and take it then!"

Despite of his small height, Connie run fast and jean had to show some performance to follow him until the dormitory room he was driving him to. There, some of their new mates were already present and were settling, watching them when they appeared as noisy as they were. The bag suddenly flew before he could put a hand on it, Connie throwing it with no mercy on a mattress, giving a cry of victory. Jean had barely moved to catch the boy's collar but finally gave up when he saw his bag almost fell on somebody who was already bustling on the mattress against the one Connie nominated as Jean's. After smacking the bald head, Jean walked and pulled the bag.

"Sorry," he said. "He doesn't know how to stop!"

"That's nothing," his interlocutor answered with a little smile. "Your friend looks full of life."

Jean raised his eyebrows, surprised to recognize the freckled boy he noticed before. Kneeling on the mattress he started putting some clothes off his luggage to tidy them up, watching around them until he found the shelves already getting full with everyone's stuff.

"A little to much lifefull," he replicated with some dark glance to Connie who already ran to get his own bags.

Later he finally felt quite happy to already have a place. The others took roughly the matresses, some arguing to be or not to be at this or that mezzanine, wood building being nailed to the ground and that meant the triple mattresses style couldn't change and then no separation. Jean sight once more and gave a eye to his bedmate. This one looked quiet and it wasn't so bad. At least he could sleep quietly with some luck. With a lot of luck, he thought as the third joined them to use the last place at his other side and he noted that he was quite well surrounded: the freckled browned boy in his right, and the other (that huge blond guy) in his left. What was his name yet…? Re…Ri…? Some 'n' was going for a trip somewhere…

"Reiner!" he suddenly claimed smacking his own palm with his fist.

The big teenager looked at him oddly, surprised.

"Problem?"

"Ah uh, no! None!" Jean blushed a little, surprised himself.

Farther, another boy called him stupid without refraining, putting Jean in some battle spirit for the rest of the evening. When the curfew finally rang, he already claimed for long that he hated Eren Jaegger under the amused eyes of his two new bedmates.

"C'mon stupid, you're gonna sleep and t'morrow you're gonna be as calm as him," Reiner twitted while slipping under his blanket.

Grumbling, Jean gave a little look on the other side of his bed taking off a part of his clothes at the same time, and discovered with some surprise that the third of them was changing hiding under his own blanket.

"What the…?" he sniggered pulling the thick fabric.

A little scream answered him and a shirt made him blind without warning. He throw it away laughing, to discover the boy folded on himself and squirming to change his clothes without being seen by the others.

"What are you doing?" he gently smiled.

The other boy violently blushed and finished putting his underwear on. On his bare shoulders and the top of his back, a throng of freckles where running, pecking the skin in a particular way and that took Jean a little hiss without even thinking of it and he won a glance that wanting to be reproachful. Jean gave up on everything, a second before receiving a noisy smack on his butt. Surprised, he turned back to meet Reiner's annoyed face who put his hand and long arm far away under his blanket.

"Reiner, you fucking…!"

"Stop bullying him," the blond mumbled, "he's shy so don't make things worse. And go to sleep both of you! Or ya gonna regret it soon in a few days."

Reiner totally disappeared under the blanket, leaving them alone together. With a low voice, Jean apologized to the boy who shrugged quickly covering his shoulders, then they slipped under their own blankets.

"By the way, I'm Jean," he muttered lifting his head for a moment.

The browned boy looked at him before letting a smile illuminating his face for a second.

"Marco," he answered on the same tone height.

"Sorry for earlier," Jean said with a wink, "but well…it was too much of a temptation!"

Marco was blushing again, looking uneasy.

"Ah, hum…Th-that's not that terrible…"

"Shut up, gurlz!" Reiner cut suddenly with an incredible delicacy.


	2. Chapter 2

Obscurity was barely disturbed by the sidelight from outdoors through the dormitory window. Silence was barely unquiet by the loud snore of their bedmates. The bodies heat made the room feels better despite of the frozen air slightly penetrating from outside.

Jean turned on himself once more, lying on the back then. Eyes big opened, he was looking over the wood battens which carried the mattress above their heads. Questions were jostling in his mind, the fear to make a mistake was already here. What would happen to them? Was it really what he wanted to do? Why did he even get that fucking stupid idea? Would he even be able to pass the test on the first days and then got to the real training?

He sight slowly. Beside him, a small movement kept his attention and he held his breath. Marco wasn't sleeping either, it seemed. During a second he thought about calling him but restrained himself when he heard a little noise, some of a sniff, light and discreet. Once, twice. Then silence was back, only cut off by Reiner's snore, and with no doubt the big blond boy slept loudly. Was Marco crying? Those were things that happened to many others the nights before. Jean didn't dare make a move, concentrating on breaths surrounding him. He didn't have to involve himself in it; he didn't even know the boy and it would surely be seen as an impulse of pity. There was nor noise anymore from the brown-haired boy, nor motion. Just his breath which, he could hear it, was still no regular. So he closed his eyes, once more with a sigh, looking for some unhelpful sleep.

"Seriously, Jean, we'll have to see how to do…!"

Jean set over the bench to get his breakfast and lift a curious look to Reiner who was already eating with a high spirit. Raising his eyebrows he made him keep going without understanding the annoyed and embarrassed looks on the bigger guy.

"You move like hell on night, that's incredible!"

Jean almost chocked with his bread eaten too fast and cough for a moment, smacking his chest a little to help, and then gave him some puzzled look.

"Reiner…You're kidding me? That's rather-"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped with surprise as he didn't expect it at all. Lifting his eyes he saw a part of Marco's face, obviously over smiling.

"Oh well, Reiner! Your snores must have kept at least half or the room out of sleep last night!" he laughed. "Your night must have been pretty great I guess?"

Marco smelt kind of good, Jean noticed, something like soap he could even say. When did he wake up to prepare himself? When he opened his eyes (after someone shake him like a tree) he noted that the place next to his was already empty and the sheets cold, surely for a while. Nobody saw him and nobody cared, not even Reiner who shared the same sleep space for a few days now.

Like this, Jean could admire without any restriction that small line of freckles that decorated Marco's skin, coming from the shirt collar. It was something simple and nice to look at, even if he had the feeling his friend was much more about the idea to hide it.

Reiner had looked at them for a moment, speechless and already undergoing Bertold and Connie's teasing as they slept above them in the mezzanine. "Uh…Yeah, that' was cool…", he mumbled, a little vexed but rather aiming for showing a good mind.

Jean felt the pressure on his shoulder disappear and he kept for himself his small disappointment to this. Marco seemed not to be a very tactile person and he had just started coming by them from his own. Reiner stretched a little, his spoon still in hand.

"Already showered?" he remarked raising an eyebrow as he saw his clean clothes. "What a motivation to get up that early! Although we don't sleep that late…"

Marco had an embarrassed laugh, rubbing le back of his head with his palm. Jean took the benefit of the motion and took the elbow to pull on it with a "Sit down, you make me get a torticollis!" and then attacked his bowl while Marco helped himself and got what he needed to eat correctly.

Reiner yawned loudly, getting teased again by Connie who was still watching for an opening.

"It's today for the balance test," he suddenly said before eating his last piece of bread.

Jean stayed there a moment in his bowl contemplation. He'd rather prefer forgetting or run like a coward but his notion of responsibilities was what it was : assuming his own decision of engagement. Prying not to be sent to the deadly work site.

"Eh you're white, Jean!" Connie sniggered coming closer until he fell on reiner's side. "Gonna pee in your pants? I thought you were stronger, like Eren you see?"

At that moment, Jean got darkly red faced and immediately took one of his best proud looks and eyed scornfully the small bald head boy by drawing all his self-cockiness.

"Who's pissed, monkey?" he grinded standing up. "I'm waiting for you performance!"

And he left them like this, striding over the bench to leave the table then the room that became full of trainees. Marco stared puzzled at his training mates then leaned, quite hesitant to what he should do.

"Wasn't it a bit too much ? I honestly think that nobody feels fine about today…"

Connie let out a big laugh, reiner sighing and lifting his eyes to the roof.

"He's too stranded," he said, "and looking at him acting like a fucking egoistic imbued with himself is getting annoying. We have to snub him sometimes, he needs to be treated as common as anybody."

"Oh…"

Marco looked at his mates and gave them a little smile. He never saw the blond boy like this, so discovering others opinion about him was kind of surprising. Connie grunted relying aslant on Reiner, taking him as some chair back.

"That bastard…If I'm a monkey, he's all about being a nag!"

Reiner raised an eyebrow and looked at him from his height.

"You'd better observe less in the showers and get more involved in training…"

He laughed loudly when Connie showed him a crestfallen face when he understood and Marco's burning face was just too hilarious. The freckled boy didn't really know how to react and welcomed himself inwardly to get ready earlier than others.

"Ah, fuck you Reiner, I've a stomachache now…" Connie squeals. "That's your fault!"

* * *

When he got back to the dormitory to take his equipment has their instructors told them the day before, Marco entered a room still almost empty. Most of their comrades were still eating or showering, and he recognized Jean who was fishing dressing up. He felt his glance at his coming and gave him a little and polite smile in return. He only got a long silence and a turning away face. He sighed a bit searching in his own affairs; Jean might have been sulking, after all it was a part of his personality.

A few seconds after that, he was wondering if he had the right to laugh : Jean was trying to put his harness on, without being sure of himself about the way to do it and about to make new bows with the straps.

"Ah, wait! Stop it…," the brown-haired gently said coming closer.

"Don't scoff, that thing is awful…," Jean was mumbling grumpily.

"It's hard to put on when you're alone," Marco had to admit with a smile, slowly putting his friend off from the leather straps. "'M going to help you…Well, if you agree with it!" he immediately added seeing Jean already scowling at him.

Jean sighed and finally spread his arms, resigning himself not to be able to do it alone for this time.

"Please…"

Marco started unraveling the straps, quietly.

"You're worried," he said before putting the back part of the harness on his mate.

Jean tried to turn his head to him and replicate something but Marco didn't let him look. "Stay straight!" he commanded immediately. Sighing, Jean had to obey obediently, grumbling.

"Spread your legs, it will be easier."

"You're not?" he finally asked, obeying again for the boy to strap one of his thighs.

Marco shrugged and then lifted his eyes on him for a second.

"I'm scared," he simply said. "Ah, put your leg there…"

Jean obeyed once more, observing the teenager's motions and wondered if he even cared about how to put that thing on or was more interested in the freckles contemplation. He couldn't say.

"You don't really show it, you're always so calm."

Marco drew the tip of his tongue.

"Reproach?"

"I-I don't think…" Jean hesitated trying to analyzed it. "Take it how it comes…"

"Well, it's a compliment then."

For a moment, Jean had to battle with himself not to blush as hell and feel totally idiot. There was definitely no weird overtone in Marco's words, although he had his own very particular way to say every of his sentences. It was fascinating him, in some of a way. In spite of himself and without even thinking of it, Jean tended a hand and reached a nose with the tip of his finger. All those little freckles were going across his face like a cloud and he smiled remembering his shoulders and back. Squat right before him, Marco frowned and put off the hand of his face with a gentle slap.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. You have it everywhere on your body. From birth?"

Marco pulled on a strap, tightening it suddenly and too much, and won a little scream from surprise and pain. Then his hands reached back Jean's waist to adjust the harness, checking sometimes if he wasn't wrong.

"Marco…!"

"Sorry, did it hurt?"

Jean noted the harsh tone and the way on talking, more embarrassed than furious that Marco used even though he was still helping him. The brown-haired boy pursed his lips up taking his calm back, obviously disturbed he got carried away so easily, even just a little. Realizing that Jean was definitely letting him do whatever he wanted, he pulled back a little on the too much tightened straps and unstrapped them to free the thigh. He could imagine the little mark surely already marbling the skin under the trousers and murmured a little and contrite "Sorry…", while he was adjusting the harness properly and more softly.

"I will know that's some delicate subject," Jean said shrugging.

He didn't go further on the subject, even though he wanted. Marco didn't look like he was that type but he had a certain strength and knew how to use it, Jean discovered it at his expense.

Marco stood up and gave a look a few moments to the leather straps assembly that strapped the thin body of Jean.

"It's ok," he said turning aside and catching his own harness he undid without making bows or mixing the different parts.

The only reason he succeed was his memory. One on the first things they've been showed consisted putting that fucking harness on, with a lot of demonstration on young trainees. He didn't know how many of them had been watchful but Jean definitely wasn't one of them.

"Need a hand?" Jean tried, touching the one he was wearing.

"Just to dress it up, it will be enough!" Marco sniggered gently, surely laughing in advance.

Jean pouted a little and waiting for instructions, trying to help him as much as possible. First the arms, then slip the legs in the clever tangle of straps. Marco was resting on him with a hand not very sure, leading Jean to make him pass the flexible straps. When he was closing the top part, Jean was clamping a thigh and he finally joined him on the second one. Disturbed by the sudden proximity of his comrade's face, he didn't take care enough and what had to happen…Happened. Unsteady on his legs, Marco overbalanced when Jean pulled inadvertently on his thigh and fell on him without a warning, bringing both them down on the floor. After a moment of surprise, Jean lifted his face, blocked under Marco's body and winced.

"Aouch…You're ok?"

Marco nodded and moved to stand up but finally didn't, falling back loudly at the same place, his head almost on Jean's belly.

"What are you doing?" Jean mumbled a little worried.

"It's…Stranded…", Marco stuttered strying again, more slowly.

Straightening himself as high as possible, Marco slide a hand under his own torso to find where was the problem from and groped with his fingertips. At that moment, Jean let out a small cry.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he hissed.

"Wait, actually buckles clang together…"

"D-don't touch there, fuck!"

A chuckle cut them off and they both turned their eyes in the same direction : two step foreward, Connie was watching them with his harness on his shoulder.

"Seriously guys, Reiner's gonna call me Miss Titbit in not so long…" he twitted turning back on his heels. "Have fun!"

They opened big eyes, one with fright and the other without understanding the sense in those implies and Marco finally realized the position they were into. It was quite normal, with the top of his harness blocked on Jean's pelvis and his own hand…Ah, his own hand meddling on Jean's crotch? …Fuck it.


End file.
